It is natural when seeing or hearing Otto Nicolai’s name immediately
to think of his opera The Merry Wives of Windsor written in 1845/49.
It’s still performed today and I recall the overture being played by
the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda at a Manchester concert I attended
a couple of seasons ago. A version of the Shakespeare comedy, The Merry
Wives was Nicolai’s major success. Its première took place
in 1849 at Berlin a mere two months before his untimely death.

Clearly there is a lot more to the Prussian-born Nicolai than this and as
a composer of over two hundred works it’s a shame that only a small
proportion has been recorded. For much of his life he composed considerable
amounts of vocal music including sacred choral music. This passion started
right from his association with Carl Friedrich Zelter early in his career
and subsequently in positions as organist in the mid-1830s at the Prussian
Embassy chapel in Rome and from 1847 as Mendelssohn’s successor as director
of music at the Berlin Cathedral.

Composed in 1832, the main work on the release is the Mass No. 1 in D major.
Cast in six movements it is a Roman Catholic Latin mass that Nicolai, a Protestant,
wrote for the consecration of Poznań Cathedral. Twelve years later he
considerably revised it for a further performance at the Vienna Court Chapel.
Every movement is worthy of interest being highly consistent in quality, quite
beautiful in places, and often moving. The general tone is uplifting, expressive
and highly reverential. I could hear occasional suggestions of Italian music
of the Renaissance such as Palestrina and also Baroque composer Pergolesi.
This came as no surprise as Nicolai spent some years in Italy. Despite its
success Nicolai wasn’t able to find a publisher for the Mass.

Receiving its first recording here is the Liturgy No. 2,written
to a German text: Ehre sei dem Vater (Glory be to the Father).
This short unaccompanied work in four parts was intended for the Royal Cathedral
Court in Berlin. Designed in twelve movements it is presented here in five
movements with the liturgical responses not included. In 1847 the Liturgy
was given to the Prussian Queen Elisabeth on her name day at the Charlottenburg
Palace; then located outside Berlin.

Another work receiving its first recording is the Psalm 13 a setting
of German text Herr, wie lange willst du mich (How long wilt thou
forget me). Composed in 1846 during Nicolai’s tenure as Kapellmeister
at the Vienna Court Opera it is a single movement for four soloists and piano
accompaniment. In eight parts, the unaccompanied Latin Pater noster
(Our Father) is a published work that was written in Bologna in 1836.
The composer dedicated the score to King Frederick William IV of Prussia.

The unaccompanied Ecce enim Deus adjuvant me (Behold God, is my
helper) is a single verse fragment from a much larger-scale work, a ten
part setting of Psalm 54. It was composed at Rome in 1834.

The final work here is a German setting of Psalm 84 Wie lieblich sind deine
Wohnungen (How lovely is your dwelling place). Scored for double
choir there is accompaniment here from two trumpets, three trombones and organ.
During his tenure as Kapellmeister to the Prussian Court and Cathedral Nicolai
composed the setting in 1848 for the consecration of the newly built Friedenskirche
in the Palace grounds of Sanssouci Park, Potsdam. Unusually there is an additional
soprano part appended to the first choir.

On this Carus release Harald Jers’ choral and orchestral forces are
certainly not heavyweight in number. The Consono Chamber Choir seems to be
around 34 strong and the Essen Folkwang Chamber Orchestra draws from around
30 players including the pianist/organist.All four soloists are German
born and bred. They sing impressively and their voices are nicely contrasted.
On a few occasions there was some unsteadiness especially from the soprano
and mezzo but they soon recovered. Soprano Sarah Schnier has firm projection
yet her tone remains attractive and smooth, and Wolfgang Klose’s incisive
tenor sounds in splendid condition. There is a rather unusual character to
Alexandra Thomas’s mezzo that I soon warmed to. I was bowled over by
the marvellous rich bass voice of Lucas Singer; although rock-steady it remains
fluid and smooth, and he communicates an eloquent sense of reverence. If he
can maintain this level of performance a successful future is guaranteed.
The splendid choir perform with fine unison yet still convey a highly appealing
tonal character with a sense of prayerful respect for the text. The orchestra
play remarkably well with proficiency and commitment. Violist Laura Krause
and cellist Mladen Miloradovic address their solo parts impressively. In addition
I felt the brass section that comprises two horns, two trumpets and three
trombones play remarkably well displaying impressive intonation and pleasing
timbre. With a dedicated approach Harald Jers does a splendid job in keeping
his combined forces together.

I was generally satisfied with the overall clarity of the sound. However,
with the combined choral and orchestra forces in the Mass No. 1 the
forte passages are a touch fierce but nothing too problematic.

A disc recently released on Profil of Suppé’s neglected and generally
forgotten Requiem Mass has created a great deal of interest. Written
just over twenty years earlier, Nicolai’srarely heard Mass
No. 1 is in a similar vein and is certainly worth investigating. Lovers
of sacred choral music looking for unusual repertoire of excellent quality
should be in their element.

Michael Cookson
Lovers of sacred choral music looking for unusual repertoire of excellent
quality should be in their element.